Anyone will tell you that the hardest part about going to the gym is getting enough motivation to start. Starting is the worst, but once you find a common ground between you and the gym, you'll begin to love the gym rather than hate it. But your relationship with your gym will always start off slow, and in most cases, you will have a burning hatred towards going to the gym. However, once you begin to appreciate your outcome, all you'll be thinking about is the gym. Here are some tips to motivate you to go:
1. Sign up to a gym that will make you feel at home.
The worst thing anyone seeking the fitness life can do is signing up at a gym that they simply feel uncomfortable in. Different gyms have different gym etiquettes; gym scenarios can range from the average gym goers to the ones that live and breath the gym. If you walk into your gym feeling worried what others might think, then you aren't at the right gym. Your gym should feel like home and should be a place that you're not consistently checking the time for.
2. Find a workout buddy.
People are easily discouraged to wake up early before their jobs/classes, and these same types of people are easily discouraged to go late at night. That's why finding a gym friend with the same goals and schedule as you might just be enough to motivate you to go to the gym. Going to the gym knowing that you'll have a friend there might just be the determinant towards you waking up early or going late at night. Your workout buddy will make sure you stick to your gym commitment, and, most of all, will make sure that the time your spending at the gym is well-spent.
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3. Stop comparing yourself to others.
This might just be every rookie's mistake: when you begin to compare yourself to others you'll find it hard to adjust. Everyone is their own person, and everyone's bodies structure and function differently. And for that reason, just because you see a person bench pressing 300 pounds doesn't mean you should do the same. Everything takes practice, and so does finding a sense of gym fluency; if you think you can start off doing what others are doing, you're heading in the wrong direction. So STOP comparing yourself to others and begin to be your personal best. If you focus on being the best that YOU can be and not the best in the gym, then you will be enjoying your workouts much more. It helps to pretend that you're the only one in the gym because, in reality, you're the only person who should be on your mind when working out.
4. Find the best time to go to the gym.
Some people prefer waking up early and avoiding the gym crowds while others prefer ending their days with a workout; whichever you are, just understand that there really is no universally best time to go to the gym, because that should be determined by you. However, if you don't mind waking up early, the gym will, for the most part, be empty, and you won't have to scramble finding an open machine or bench. An empty gym is a happy gym. Whichever time you feel the most comfortable with is the best time to go to the gym.
5. Find a workout routine.
One of the biggest beginner's mistakes that anyone can make is not having a routine. Going to the gym and just winging it won't do the trick. You have to find a routine and stick by it and waking up in the morning knowing that today you're working out chest or abs will make your life much easier when you go inside the gym and you're able to get your workout started right away.
